"Mommy!"
Harley completely blanked Joker at this point, spinning around and squealing in delight as Jesse raced towards her, his arms open wide. Running to meet him, she lifted her son up into the air, peppering little kisses all over his face as Jesse giggled in delight.
It would have been like any other ideal family scene… if it weren't for the dead bodies all over the place.
"My little Jester!" Harley cooed in delight, "Look how much you've grown!"
"He's grown into a little bastard…" Joker muttered, stinging slightly from the rejection, "… didn't I tell you to stay in the car?"
"Yes…" Oswald agreed, frowning at his own son, "… I distinctly remember that being said."
"Jesse is really persuasive." Jeremiah said with a completely straight face, not even smirking when his Dad groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Oh God…" Penguin muttered, "… I don't think I can deal with you two being friends."
Thankfully, none of the clown family were listening as Joker continued to try and get Harley's attention, with Jesse and Harley too focused on one another.
"Come on." Oswald raised his voice slightly, "Let us leave, before the Batman decides to pay us a visit."
No-one seemed to be listening, except for Victor and Jeremiah.
"Fine." Oswald growled, "Victor, grab Joker. Jeremiah, lure Jesse out and I'll get Harley."
"You got it boss."
Getting Harley out the building was simple, with Oswald taking one of her hands and pulling her out the door as quickly as he could. Joker was too angry to notice Victor hoisting him into a fireman's carry, ranting and raving about the indignity of being ignored for a brat.
Just as they pulled away in the cars, a dark figure arrived at the Asylum…. And cursed.
….…
"Put the radio on!" Harley whined from the back seat, leaning forwards to try and fiddle with the knobs, "It's so quiet in here!"
"Harley…" Joker hissed, his tone dangerous and on the verge of breaking, "… if that hand comes into the front, one more time… I'm going to cut it off."
"Not in my car." Oswald groaned, "It takes forever to clean the blood out of the upholstery."
"That's okay Mummy." Jesse sent an evil grin at the back of his father's head, "We can be our own radio."
"Jesse, don't you fucking dare- "
But it was too late. Harley was already singing an awful pop song that she must have heard during her time in the asylum, and within seconds, the two children were joining in. For Jeremiah, it was probably because he liked the song, but Joker could tell that Jesse was only doing it to wind him up.
And it was working.
Before Joker could reach back and cuff his son around the back of the head, Oswald's hand darted out and grabbed it.
"Joker. Why don't you and Harley have some alone time. Jesse can stay with me for the night."
If there was one thing that was guaranteed to cheer Joker up, it was some time with Harley, without Jesse to monopolise his Mother's attention.
"But I wanna stay with Mommy!" Jesse whined, no longer finding the situation funny.
"Quiet brat, the adults are talking." Joker smirked, "You've got a deal Pengy. I'll send Liam to pick him up tomorrow evening."
It was probably more likely to be a week later when Joker finally sent for his son, but Oswald decided not to push the matter. Jesse was likely to run back before the week was out anyway.
"I'll drop you two off at the club."
Jesse continued to whine long after his parents had been dropped off, even resorting to kicking the back of Oswald's chair in frustration. The tantrum lasted long after they'd arrived at Penguin's old club, and after locking the brat into a guest room, Oswald could still hear the screams from his own room.
"Well…" Victor lounged back on the bed, "… that was interesting."
"That was the worst offer I've ever made in my life."
As Oswald climbed into the bed, Victor rolled over and smirked, "Want me to help you forget all about it?"
"Please!"
…..
"I got you toast, do you really have to skulk around like that?"
Jesse scowled from where he was hanging upside down, clinging onto the bars of the top bunk.
"If you don't want toast, I don't have to give it to you." Jeremiah tilted his head to the side, "Why do you have a knife in your mouth? You better not have stabbed my bed."
Jesse spit the knife out, smirking as Jerry leapt back in alarm. He then dropped to the ground, snatching the food off the plate and scoffing it into his mouth.
"… Some of that was for me you know."
Jesse smirked, the grin looking far bigger than it should have been, "I can give you some of it back." As he started to retch, Jerry gagged.
"No, no, no, no, no!"
"Baby!" Jesse fell back onto the bottom bunk, kicking out at the other boy as he tried to come closer. Eventually, Jerry got tired of the game and backed away.
"Fine…" he huffed, "… but I'm going to go and draw."
"Me too! Me too!"
Jeremiah ignored him, sitting at his desk and starting the drawing.
It was when he heard silence for more than half an hour, that he started to get suspicious. When he turned around, his suspicions were confirmed.
"MY WALLS!"
Jesse spun around, throwing his arms out wide and beaming, "TADA! Doesn't your room look better now?"
"YOU'VE DRAWN CLOWNS ON MY WALLS!"
…..
BANG
BANG
BANG
"Hmph…" Joker grunted into the pillow, "… who the fuck- "
BANG
BANG
BANG
"FUCK OFF!"
When the banging continued, Joker threw the duvet off the bed, ignoring Harley's whine of protest as he stormed over to the door. Throwing it open, he cursed at what he saw.
"Oswald says I'm not allowed to go round anymore."
